Realize that "gay marriage" has been occuring for a very long time. Two gays who live together often consider themselves married, and act like. Now, they'd like the rest of society to recognize it, and not penalize them for their choice. Sounds pretty American to me, doesn't it?

No, it isn't. In fact, in the United States of America, apparently the words "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness" translates to "as long as the majority approves of it." The destruction of the Bill of Rights is now complete, a condition brokered equally by well-meaning but boneheaded "liberals" who expand the Commerce Clause as well as by so-called "conservatives" who never met a civil liberty they couldn't leave alone. And destroy.

On Tuesday, Texas will vote on Proposition 2, the Defense of Marriage Act. But here is what it comes down to, really: Makikng Fags Pay. That's right. Gay people will just be forced to pay a lot more for contracts, legal services, and will still be 2nd class citizens in their own country. Because you're no more likely to stop "gay marriage" than you are to stop heterosexual divorce.

In an age when government can confiscate your home *just because*, can break down your doors and search for whatever they wish even without a search warrant or a judge approving it ... in an age that requires people to get *permits* to practice free speech while videotaping them (thus intimidating them), what do you expect? Do you really expect anything else? We all are 2nd class citizens in our country, unless you are a lawyer holding office. And holding it. And holding it.

You have fundamentalist Christians in all corridors of power exercising tyranny of the majority, screaming that they are under attack, much like rapists would scream to make the Jezebel stop tempting them while going about their business.

Meanwhile, gay Americans are reduced to a popularity contest vote, because some heterosexuals are so afraid that marriage is under attack bywhom? Gays?? In a country of 60% divorce rates, it seems to me some cowardly heterosexuals are blaming people who just want to be as miserable as they. Pure and simple, they just can't stand faggots. I've heard them say itto my face.

By the way, government involvement with marriage is not from time immemorial. It used to be a religious only institution, or simply common-law. It is the rise of the welfare state, the income tax, and the giveway/freebies that has caused the problems. Now the gays want the freebies, tooand that is what is at issue. They pay taxes like every other slave on this plantation, but they don't get the goodiesor so the cowardly pseudo-religious bigots would have you vote. And as for adoption by gay parents? No, keeping kids in foster homes and orphanages and beholden to state care is much better, according to they. Makes you real proud to be a so-called conservative, doesn't it?

Libertarians once again have it right: get government completely out of the marriage business, and stop giving out freebies and handouts to anyone from government. Private charities do it better and more efficiently anyway. In short, return marriage to a contractual, or a religious basis (if you are religious).

It is pure tyranny of the majority, this Proposition 2, this so called "Defense of Marriage Act", and the sooner so-called liberals wake up and realize that voting away freedoms (like voting for higher taxes) has caused it, the sooner we may yet again have a free Republic where life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness is recognized as the American Way. Again. As for the neo-conservative and neo-religious fanatics, we have little hope indeed that they will wake up from their boogy-man nightmare they seem to want to inflict on the rest of us. When middle-America is finished with this particular round of religious fanaticism, maybe we can go about our business unmolested by the rapers of liberty.

Mr Weiss is the Special Human Political Sexuality Editor for NetPlanet News.
He is also the Economics Editor.